Posted By RA
Gwahir,

I personally go by my risk assessments and Accident History for my environment, this will then determine the types of accidents most likely to occur and then you put in place your controls.......etc.

RA

Posted By Manny
Very strange, the main items used in our first aid boxes are plasters. What would you replace them with?

Point to note I am personally alergic to certain plasters but still don't see a problem with having them in the kit.

Manny

Posted By Sean Fraser
The banning of plasters in a First Aid kit is yet another example of over-reaction to the compensation culture myth.

This comes back to sensitisation and allergic reaction.

It is good practice for the First Aider to ask if the person has a known alergy to the plaster, before they put one on - some people do have an allergy, but if you ask first then you are "covered". They ask this in hospitals and doctor surgeries for the same reason.

Harking back to the recent thread on First Aiders being prosecuted, this is another one that could be quoted as a problem, but thinking about it realistically it would have to be a very severe reaction (life-threatening) and this is not likely, as it is a contact allergy reacting to rosin in the adhesive and the effect is localised.

For more info see:

http://dermnetnz.org/der...tis/contact-allergy.html

Alternative to the plaster would be to use a sterile pad (cut to size if necessary) and held with a bandage - this is both to slow bleeding and to provide a cover to allow it to scab. It may be possible to hold the pad in place with a surgical tape instead.

Posted By Ken Taylor
It will be unlikely for a first-aider to be applying a plaster to someone that is unable to indicate that they are allergic to it or, in the case of a child casualty, is already known to be allergic. Unconscious bleeding casualties tend to need dressings attached to bandages.

Posted By Malcolm Hogarth
I need to revisit this subject again please.
I was carrying out a workplace audit yesterday and noted that there were no plasters in a first aid kit. When I queried this the first aider (St. Johns trained) said that St. Johns told them that they were not allowed to use plasters due to allergies etc. I explained that the First Aid at Work Regulations require plasters in a first aid kit.(I am assuming that a 'sterile adhesive dressing' is a plaster)

Are there any Health and Safety Practitioners amongst you who deliver St.Johns courses and can clarify the matter?

Many thanks,

Malcolm

Posted By Les Welling
I agree with Sean

Les

Posted By Malcolm Hogarth
Michael,

If you e-mail me I will give you the details.

Malcolm

Posted By Malcolm Hogarth
Michael,

If you log on to this site I can e-mail you from here.

Malcolm

Posted By CRN Baker
I am one of those few individuals on our site who is allergic to plasters.
My nearest available first aider is aware of the issue and has been given a roll of the type of surgical tape which does not cause me a problem. The tape is held in their work area but not in the first aid kit so as not to cause confusion should other first aiders need to use the kit.

HTH

Posted By Chris Packham
Just to clarify one point:

The old style plasters used an adhesive that contained colophony. This is a known sensitiser and did cause occasional type IV allergic reactions in the skin. Type IV responses (allergic contact dermatitis) is not known (with only one exceptional case reported) to cause the anaphylactic reaction that can, in extreme, be life threatening. It is the type I immune response (contact urticaria in the skin) that can produce this.

Modern adhesives used in plasters usually do not contain colophony. They are sometimes sold as "hypo-allergenic", but many of the others will be free from this chemical.

Chris

Posted By RP
I agree with above post, also:

If someone needed a plaster and did not know they had any allergy, they would only find out when using the plaster.

Apply the plaster and prevent infection, treat any reaction later...

Plasters are not 'banned' from first aid kits...

Posted By Chris G
Looking back up the thread, don't trust hospitals to use hypoallergenic plaster or dressing tape. I have tape on my arm monthly due to blood tests & now question what tape is in use every time as I eneded up with a swollen arm that affected my work on 3 occasions due to the tape used. Glad I ask as they were going to use the type I react to this morning until I asked. Blood tests are in a reasonable non sensitive area. I'd hate to have this type of reaction somewhere sensitive.

Still - I have 2 brands of plasters in my first aid box, but I always ask the IP if they know of any problems and can always offer an alternative if they come back with the beginnings of a reaction.
Chris